Hunter remembers Sri Lanka’s wounded – BY Helen Gregory
(source: Newcastle Herald)
SHOCK at the Sri Lanka terrorist attack has made way for expressions of sorrow and solidarity with its population, which is still reeling from the Easter Sunday bombings that killed 253 people and injured more than 500.
Sri Lankan-born priest Father Joseph Figurado said Mass for around 100 people at Christ The King in Mayfield West on Thursday night to remember everyone affected and show unity with Sri Lankans in the Hunter.
“After all these questions there is a huge silence,” Father Figurado said in his homily.
“Each one of us has been extended beyond what we have thought possible.
“We are tired, the strains and pains still shows on our faces and in our eyes.
“The hurt and shock… is deep in our lives, it has displaced our sense of order, it has disrupted our routines, it has changed our plans, it has altered our future and it has challenged out understanding of right and wrong and of good and evil.
“Perhaps the best way to deal with the silence of the hurt and of the shock is to seek refuge and strength from God and from each other – for all of us to unite, for all of us to stand together with the aim of healing.”
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Sri Lankan-born Ajith Weerasinghe attended and said he wanted to pray for the dead and show his appreciation for Father Figurado and his parish organising the Mass.
“We also want to show our solidarity as Sri Lankans, to bring the Sri Lankan community closer together,” he said.
“We belong to different religions, but as Sri Lankans we stand together.”
Mr Weerasinghe’s parents and brother still live in Sri Lanka and his former classmate lost a brother in the Negombo bombing.
Mr Weerasinghe and his wife, Chathu and children Andrew, now 15 and Ashanya, now 12, moved to Australia in February 2010 and to Cameron Park in December 2013.
He said Sri Lankans of his generation had seen the civil war unfold mostly in the northern part of the country from 1983 to 2009, but terrorists rarely targeted places of worship or hotels.
He said Christians co-exist peacefully with the Buddhist majority, Hindus and Muslims.
“I would never imagine in my life this sort of attack would ever happen in Sri Lanka,” he said.
“There is a fear this is something totally different.
“Now we are not talking about a localised issue, it’s a global issue happening around the world.”
He said Sri Lanka was two weeks away from marking a decade of peace at the time of the attack and Lonely Planet named it last October as the best country to visit in 2019.
“The world is recognising Sri Lanka but now tourism will suffer a huge hit,” he said.
“When I think back now more than anything I’m confused… how is Sri Lanka going to move forward?
“My concern is those attacks don’t have a basis, which means we do not know what is next.
“There’s lots of uncertainty over there. Will we ever come back to totally normal?”
But he said Sri Lankans were resilient.
“Sri Lanka was a victim, when everyone and the government thought we had no reason to be a target.
“This now causes us to be on guard and we have to be aware of the threat that has come to our doorway.
“But they [Sri Lanka] have the ability to turn around and come back.”
